Electric heating elements of the type widely used in electric hot plates and stoves include a resistive heating element enclosed by a shell-like housing. The housing is supported by several arms that in turn are supported by a saucer or cup designated to catch debris running down the side of a vessel being heated. Such debris catchers are designed to be easily removed for cleaning.
During heating, the vessel to be heated is placed atop the horizontally arrayed heating element housing. Electric power applied to the resistive heating element heats the vessel lying atop the heating element housing. The purpose of the heating element is to heat the vessel lying on the top of the heating element housing by radiating heat upwardly toward the vessel. With prior art electric heating elements, heat is also radiated downwardly and sidewardly. While some of the downward and sideward radiated heat ultimately assists in heating the vessel (because heat flows upwardly), some of the downward and sideward radiated heat is lost. For example, part of the heat is lost by the debris collecting cup or saucer (which is usually formed of metal) being heated and conducting part of the heat energy received away from the area underlying the vessel being heated. This invention is directed to avoiding this and other heat losses due to heat radiation away from the vessel to be heated.